LAKE DON PEDRO, Calif. -- Smaller than a quarter, Quagga and Zebra mussels may appear harmless, but they can pack a devastating financial punch.

These mussels have caused billions of dollars of damage on the east coast by endangering fish populations, damaging boat engines and clogging pipes, officials said.

"If you are a water district and have pipelines, it will get into those pipelines," said Lori Oldfather, who is with the California Fish and Game Department. "And if you think of it like cholesterol eventually the longer it is in there, the more it's going to clog those pipelines."

Last year, Quagga mussels were found in San Diego and Riverside counties.

Just a few months ago, Zebra mussels were spotted in San Benito County, and some lakes in Southern California have already been closed to fishing because of the threat of mussels.

"It's something to worry about everywhere because they take a lot of things over," fisherman Jeff Harrington said.

The California Department of Fish and Game is using dogs and training personnel in hopes of preventing the spread of the mussels, officials said.

Story link http://www.kcra.com/news/15973517/detail.html

atlfootr

04-24-2008, 06:25 PM

I read the link, serious stuff but I enjoyed this part the most ...
"The California Department of Fish and Game is using dogs and training personnel in hopes of preventing the spread of the mussels, officials said".